Forum:.hack//Wiki
Lately, I found this short version of the Epitaph of Twilight and I can't find out if it's canon or not. Since I didn't find any reference to it in the wikia, I suppose it was made by a fan. But, seemingly, no one knows for sure if it is fanfiction or not and, though It has some divergences from the supposed real poem, e.g. does not mention Saya, its language really fits the canon fragments. Once their magic land did glow With vagrant, ever-present light: When sprites would play in flowing fields, The twilight shining in their wings As they swam through silky seas of mist, Before the coming of the Wave. Untouched by fear or pain they lived Each minute with the utmost joy, Till the cursed Wave did rise Tearing through the dusky skies; Consuming light and dark in kind And leaving none to mourn behind. So to the East the sprites did flee Though burdened by the tragedy, The truth was all too plain to see: One by one their kind would fall Beneath the torrent of the Wave If none could stand before its gaze And somehow fill that endless void. King of light and queen of dark, Apeiron and Helba knew of one Who might defeat the Wave: A mythic beast long said to sleep 'Neath the edge of the world's end Sheathed by the Wavering Peninsula, A creature of the greatest might, The sacred dragon of twilight. Thus Queen Helba chose Bith the Black, Her strongest sprite, to join the quest; While Apeiron sent Fili the White To journey with them in his stead, For Bith and Helba thought it best That the king remain behind to rule And calm the ever-spreading dread Ere the dragon might appear. So as the three prepared to ride Through the aqua gate of Mac Anu A fourth did come by fate's command: One part human, one part sprite, Alone for all his nameless might, He fell in stride with Helba's steed As she wordlessly agreed, His will was worthy of their cause. Through the Fatel Bog they sped As onyx dust cloaked each in turn From which arose a blinding pall, A living shadow born to crawl Betwixt reality and mind, Till death, within them, was enshrined: Each was shown their comrades slain; Illusions of Skeith's mortal game. Fili wept and knelt to pray, While Bith did halt in stunned dismay Ere turning back upon the path, Desires crushed by failure's wrath. The halfling tore about the swamp Searching for the fount of death Whose noxious fog had claimed the lives Of those who'd stand against the Wave. Alone the dark queen Helba rode Remorseless through the baneful mire, Cursing the Wave as she progressed Bent solely on her noble quest, And as she went the darkness lifted Till she found her friends still living, Mounted on their stagnant steeds As if enchanted by some dream. Calling forth an ancient rune, The queen dispelled the evil bind; Thus Skeith's hold was undermined And as he slowly evanesced Each realized they'd been possessed While Helba foretold a prophecy Of eight heralds with demons blood, Eight phases of the Cursed Wave. As the boggy mud grew dry Gyle Mountain rose before them, A deadly oft avoided peak; The swiftest route to Dun Loireag; For eons standing as a god O'er looking men with its facade While hiding at its center true, A molten pit of which none knew. As they neared the summit's height Something waited midst their course: A Chimera of the greatest size With sleight blue malefic eyes Exuding lust for their demise; Then two, then four, then all around The aberrations capped the ground, Till hundreds stood in perfect stillness. Charging forth as one they came With rumbling fury at the four, Who held a circle back to back, Slaying beasts as they attacked; Though as the horrors met their deaths, Each vanished with its dying breath, Unfleshly as a wayward thought But for the bloody wounds they wrought. Thus the ceaseless battle waged: As each fiend fell another came Till Bith cried out in dire need, A lone chimera must be real; The others conjured effigies; Doppelgangers born to please Their lord and master as slaves, Incarnations of the Wave. Deeming true the dark knight's words, Fili beseeched her allies three For time to let her mind's eye see; Hence minutes passed as Fili prayed Ere she raised her longbow high And let a single arrow fly Piercing clouds upon the sky As though the shaft were blessed by god. Falling with a feather's grace The missile knew whom to embrace, And like a tear from heaven shed Smote its wrath on the demon's head, Laying to waste the vile horde; As Innis' power left the peak Six words of spite he cruelly gave: "You shall never stop the Wave." Past the mount they traveled far Through Dun Loireag the highland town Till they reached the woods of Breade Where lay a mark for all to heed: A sphere enclosed by myriad lines, One of many travelers' signs Known by the halfling doubtlessly: A labyrinth confronts beyond. Foraging down countless paths, Each branch producing two alike; They hastened forth without event Till Helba sensed a foul intent, And turning, to her wonder found A creature posing as a man, Exquisite in his nakedness; A mold no human could possess. With arms spread wide the demon smiled And Helba watched as though beguiled While fallen twigs grew into trees, Forming fast a wooden shield Unyielding to the fiercest blow; Then shrieks about the forest rang As any beast with claw or fang Descended on the narrow trail. Besieged by creatures of the wood They battled 'gainst undying foes: Each pair slain would recompose, Birthing four at instant pace As Magus watched with grinning glee, Entombed within his wall of trees Which faster grew then could be hewn; A trait which spelled the heroes' doom. Thus the exalting onslaught went Till Nameless conceived a final hope, And drawing out a flask of spirits Hurled it at the barricade, Then blazed a spark with blade on blade Setting to light a rampant fire; A majestic funeral pyre Felling the wall atop its maker. Soon Breade was but a memory O'ershadowed by the floral city: Carmina Gadelica by name, Of gentile and aesthetic fame; Though swiftly too it fell behind As Moyra Canyon darkly loomed, Foreboding in its desolation Ere the crossing had begun. Hours aft the presaged end Of that bleak and lengthy trek, Moyra's cliffs still stood aside, Mocking each benumbing stride; Till Bith remarked in somber phrase They'd passed the same formations thrice, Spun by some malign device So deftly one might never know. Having spoke his solemn fear A haunting voice then prophesied: "Your graveyard shall this chasm be For here you will remain with me; Helpless as the Wave consumes Everything you've ever known, Leaving naught behind but bone And fading whispers on the wind." Searching for escape in vain They rode the passage once again; But Fidchell's brazen promise held: Nowhere could the cliffs be scaled, And though their course did never veer While racing through the corridor, They came to camp just as before; Overcome by nauseous dread. Dispel charms proved fruitless too; Till Bith called for womanly aid, Requesting they enchant his blade; Then slowly marching down the path For hours when he sensed at last The entrapping portal's edge; Driving hard his sword to earth, Razing Fidchell's sorcery. Long past the crucible of Moyra, They sheltered in a citadel: Fort Ouph, so said its denizens Where mind and body could be cleansed Of any hardships one endured Ere disembarking further north Over the barren Veishus Plain, Where most who crossed it would remain. The horses thrived on unmarked land, Rejoicing in those countless miles Till suddenly in concert halting As ebon vapours coalesced At Gorre's inhuman behest, Forging whole his grotesque form: A tetra-legged mass of hate Obscured midst a foul haze. With putrid limbs the demon lashed; Immense weight thrown behind each strike: Through both guard and shield alike The blows did wound unless evaded; While each assault the heroes launched Was somehow violently repelled: Sheathed in armour craft of malice The creature stood immune to challenge. Battling with their utmost might Each soon grew weary from the fight, When Fili grazed the demon's hide And felt its overwhelming sadness; No longer could abhorrence lie Within her for the wretched fiend: T'was but a puppet of the Wave Devised to delve for each a grave. As pity laced her heavy heart, Fili strode towards the beast Whose crushing limbs were now repulsed Ere they touched her ivory skin; When came she nigh with rapier drawn A single thrust did slay its brawn, For mercy guided Fili's blade Where scorn could never penetrate. In time they reached Lia Fail, Exhausted to the breaking point Where healers did their wounds anoint While speaking of the land beyond: Knemisys was the desert's name; Devoid of life's too fragile flame, Though offering hope ever so slight: The journey's end was now in sight. Once their strength had been regained A woman of unmatched beauty came; And standing in the village square With naught to clothe but flowing hair, She beckoned with an outstretched hand As her siren song did ring Throughout the quiet frontier town, Calling both the knight and halfling. Doused by some seducing force Helba charged to find the source, But like Fili arrived too late: Bith and Nameless stood entranced By Macha's all-enticing spell With which she did their blades compel To set upon the women with Whom they'd journeyed for so long. Knowing well the quest would fail If any were to perish here, They could but dodge each fierce attack, Unwilling to counter back; Neither could Macha be harmed: Protected by her servants two No assault could carry through; Such was the witchcraft's passion. In desperation Helba cast A seldom sober sorcery: The banshee's cry for moments wailed, Annulling the demon's hymn And sealing Macha's fate therein; For that lone unhindered instant Was all the dark queen needed To cut the bare seductress down. So bidding to the town farewell They forged ahead through Knemisys; Uncrossed by any to return: The arid distance was too great, Yet they went without debate To find whatever might await, Knowing one predestined fact: They'd not last the journey back. Past untold dunes the horses ran Till any sense of time was gone And each grew jadedly withdrawn, When, rising from the sands ahead A small oasis lay outspread; Water sparkling through the heat Beneath a single godsent tree Worth tenfold its weight in gold. First they drank as ne'er before Upon the tiny desert shore, But found in frantic disarray Just two fruits about the tree; Soon both Queen and Halfling claimed Their sex deserved the greater share, While Fili spoke with fixed glare: Equal parts were truly fair. Bith alone did not take part For something gnawed upon his heart; Coming clear as swords were drawn When words alone would not suffice; Plunging through bark and wood his axe, A shriek of fury tamed the fight As the haven left their eyes; Thus Tarvos met his swift demise Presently the thirst awoke As the demon's magic broke, But soon their spirits soared anew: Sand gave way to fluid ground, A joyous omen that they'd found The Wavering Peninsula; Awash with instability Such as none had ever seen. Colours shimmered 'round the cape, Blending aimlessly together While hoof-beats danced about the land Like echoes of a mindless band; But all too soon this chaos paled In contrast to the final phase: Before the Stone of Destiny Corbenik stood in mockery. Titanic was his human form; Eyes alight with vicious scorn As he advanced with roaring strides And spoke in truly humbling voice: "You've journeyed far and suffered much To perish by my flawless touch; For as you now shall plainly see, No sprite exists to stand against me." Ere the final word had died A pulse erupted from his hand Which all but one could not withstand: Nameless stood in disbelief As Helba, Bith, and Fili fell Unconscious to the shifting earth; Saved by halfling blood alone, He'd fight this demon on his own. Enraged that any dared resist, Corbenik charged into the duel With staggering ferocity Bent towards his enemy Who spun ever-elusively Away from each leaden blow, Requiting with his lustrous blades Like some pernicious serenade. Despite the halfling's surest strike Corbenik offered no respite, For even as his steel drew blood The lesion seamlessly would heal, Till a voice in him confided: Your weapons cannot harm this fiend; Fight with those attached to life To break his immortality. Unequalled was the dark queen's verve, So taking up her royal sword And yearning for true faith's reward; Nameless vaulted o'er his foe, Driving the blade through flesh below And landing on the other side As the demon fell beside, Both motionless for a time. Soon burning with hellish fire The fiend rose in satanic form As the Halfling heard once more: A weapon in accord with death Will cleave this monster's dying breath; Thus endowed with Bith's great axe He snuffed Corbenik's second life; Though doubt within him now grew rife. From ash the demon rose again, Empowered by the pure heart And soaring high with angel's wings As Nameless brandished Fili's bow, Firing volleys at each chance Till the fiend could fly no more, And beaten to its very core, Fell to earth one final time. Once the sprites had reawakened The voice resounded in their minds: You have my sincerest praises For vanquishing the Wave's eight phases, Each imbued with twisted souls Collected by their maker; Each a brutal incarnation Embodying the psyche. Skeith, The Terror of Death; Composed of deepest mortal fear His morbid whispers silence cheer Innis, The Mirage of Deceit; Cloaked within a deadly guise, One must see truth amidst his lies; Magus, The Propagator, In his presence species' thrive, Ever able to survive; Fidchell, The Prophet; Predicating hopeless fate To crush your will beneath its weight; Gorre, The Machination; Enrobed by vicious cruelty, Immune to all but sympathy; Macha, The Temptress; Manifesting love and lust To charm even the most robust; Tarvos, The Avenger; Envy and vengeance are the tools With which he transforms men to fools; And Corbenik, The Rebirth; First compelled by all life's riches Then drawn towards the reaper's scythe Before ascending to the skies On gusts of immaculate intent. When this world was barely born The Wave and I did battle here For eons at same frontier, Clashing once with utmost strength: Our bodies spread across the land Seeding all that now exists; Substance did my form provide, And he the spirit held inside. I've waited for your coming since; A specter sealed beneath this stone Without a shape to call my own; Thus I must entreat you all To pay this last, most grievous cost: Return to me what I have lost That I might give my life to save Those remaining from the Wave. Each laid their hands upon the stone, Vanishing as the dragon rose In magnificent repose; Feeding off his former tomb Now serving as a holy womb; The peninsula soon faded too: Among the saddest kinds of loss, Gone ere it could be forgotten. In a breath the dragon flew Back to besieged Mac Anu, Where all the mages of the land Had trenched their only stand At the battered aqua gate To stay the Wave in fervent hope That the quest would yet succeed, As Apeiron had once decreed. Streaming forth in sheer delight, The Twilight Dragon met the Wave; Twirling 'round his adversary Till inextricably entwined They momently shone as one, Like a swiftly dying sun Whose embers flare with glory bright Before it's taken by the night. When the aura dissipated, Wave and Dragon both were gone, Though joy came not to Apeiron; He knew this victory's true price; The last and greatest sacrifice Which Helba and her friends had made At land's end so far away For every voice that now did cheer. Sprites have long since lost their wings As they did their innocence, The timeless dusk in which they lived, And perhaps of all the saddest; Of Helba and her servant Bith, Of Fili and the Halfling too, No memories remain but this: the Epitaph of Twilight